Black Star Line, the state shipping corporation of Ghana - Advertisement of Maiden Voyage to New York (USA)

Founding of Black Star Line Ghana

Ghana’s indefatigable leader, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, in his God given astuteness saw the need for the provision of sea going vessels to set the stage for the institutionalization of Black Star Line, a wholly state-owned maritime corporate entity that seek to explore extensive trading activities within the West African sub-region and subsequently to the entire globalized world.

* Operating during his time, and some few years after the Coup against his government, the company was dis-functioned later due high corruption and mismanagement.

Ghana was a country that could brag of not less than four top 16,000 tonnes vessels provided by the then government of PNP, that embarked upon regular sailing schedules, traversing the globe. In the late 70’s, Vessels like Keta, Tano, Sissili, and of course Volta arguably epitomizes the originality of Ghanaian identity once in foreign jurisdictions, as well as the soul of the nation in those highly nostalgic times.

Company - still on the papers

However, since the inception of the 4th republic, none of the various legitimate governments have attempted to resuscitate the once celebrated national shipping line through acquisition of ocean going vessels.

Ghana, undeniably, is in dire need of new generation Ocean liners if the country is to significantly improve upon both her GDP and GNP levels; coupled with the urgent necessity to create massive job opportunities to catch up with the developed polities. We pride ourselves for attaining the level of low-middle income status, yet there is nothing to validate this position, not a single fishing vessel. Its time institutions like Chattered Institute of Logistics & Transport (CILT), GSA, GMA, GPHA and interrelated Ministry’s, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) make conscious efforts to pool resources en masse by making representation to the government through parliament for acquisition and operating of ocean liners.

Tragically, Black Star Line Ghana could not stand the test of time. Poor leadership coupled with massive pervasion of corruption, bad corporate governance leading to unethical practices as well as maladministration bedeviled the once enviable shipping line.

Mill’s men want state-owned shipping line reintroduced

Source: citifmonline.com / 01.10.2010 - Two Ministers of the Mills administration have called for the immediate revival of the defunct Black Star Line, a state-owned shipping company that operated during the government of Ghana’s First President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

The Black Star Line was a major backbone for the nation’s maritime sector in the 1960s and 70s but collapsed years later under the weight of bad management and colossal corporate debt.

Foreign shipping lines have since filled in the gap, making huge monies from the ferrying of cargo to and from Ghana.

As Ghana begins commercial drilling of oil in the deep waters of the Western Region, Employment Minister, Enoch Teye Mensah and Greater Accra Regional Minister, Hon. Nii Armah Ashitey, believe the surest way of making Ghana reap maximum benefits from the nation’s emerging oil industry is to resurrect the dead Black Star Line.

“One of the surest ways by which government can intervene to get our people to go to sea is to reintroduce the shipping line because many people who used to be interested in going to the college are always skeptical about what happens after they finish. We can start with two or three ships and it would help us so government has to do this particularly with the coming of the oil and the fact that we have a maritime university in this country” he said.

Hon. ET Mensah, who was addressing a workshop for stakeholders in the maritime industry to discuss the recently approved Collective Bargaining Agreement for maritime workers, said the revival of the shipping line will enable seafarers derive wide range of socio-economic benefits which will greatly impact national growth.

According to him, as the end of 2007, there was a global shortage of 34,000 shipping personnel worldwide and that based on the current demand of seafarers, it is estimated that the shortfall could reach 83,900 by the year 2012.

For this reason he said Ghana needs to train more personnel in the maritime industry and most importantly revive the defunct Black Star Line.

The Greater Accra Regional Minister Nii Armah Ashitey who backed calls for the revival of the Black Star line noted that job creation in the maritime industry is crucial in the face of the oil production and said government must work towards that direction.

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